


Butterfly Kisses

by gatergirl79



Series: Kiss of Heaven [2]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Eggsy, Cheating, Couch Sex, Eggsy Cheating on Tilde, Gay Harry, Hand Jobs, M/M, Oral Sex, Soul Bond, Unhappily Married Eggsy, sex pollen (kinda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 10:00:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15660933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gatergirl79/pseuds/gatergirl79
Summary: A casually catch-up between Harry and Eggsy, turns sexy when a mysterious experiment is unleashed in Kingsman, forcing both men to deal with their long restrained feeling for one another.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The second story in my Kiss Universe, that covers various fandoms, though each story can’ (hopefully) be read as individual adventures. This started as a PWP, but it somehow became piled with angst and feels.

"I don't know what's wrong with us, Harry." Eggsy sighed, slouching further into the couch, the martini glass hanging from his fingers.

Harry watched sympathetically as the young man stared into his glass. "Every relationship goes through difficulties. I'm sure you just need to spend some time together to work it out." It never got any easier giving the man he loved advise about his marriage. All Harry ever wanted to say was, _'I love you. I want you. Come back to me. Be mine forever.',_ but that was impossible. Even if Eggsy could be convinced to leave his wife, it would not be for him. Firstly, because Eggsy was straight, and secondly, even if he were not, he'd never want an old man like him. That was just foolishness.

Eggsy exhaled a tired sigh, "Time isn't going to fix this," he muttered wearily, "If it were, we would have sorted things out months ago." He shook his head and lifted his glass, sipping at the clear liquid. "It just gets worse. Our sex life has become non-existent."

Harry shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat, "A gentleman does not discuss his..."

"I _know_ Harry, but...God, you don't understand, we used to be good together, but now..." He shook his head, "I don't know, even kissing her feels wrong. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth I can't explain."

Harry's eyes widened at that, and he shifted forward. "As if you've swallowed ash?"

Eggsy frowned, surprised, "Yes. Why?" He shifted closer to the edge of the couch, his glass clutched hopefully in both hands.

"Williams and his team are working on it." Harry replied, calmly, "A number of agents have been experiencing a similar issue both on and off duty."

"Really?" Gasped Eggsy.

"Yes. We initially suspected it was some kind of pathogen, but there have been no other side effects but for the awful taste while kissing. "

"But it’s not just the kissing," He said almost desperately, "It’s... everything. Even being around her has become difficult."

Harry frowned, leaning back into his brown leather armchair, "But why are you effected?" He asked thoughtfully, "You haven't been an agent for almost two years now."

"Maybe the person behind this is working of old intel." Eggsy rationalized.

"Perhaps, but why even bother to do this? Whatever this is. What is to be gained from making kissing..?"

"Gross?" Eggsy provided, slumping back miserably, "Maybe it’s some mad scientist who never got kissed in their life and now they're making the world pay?"

Harry considered that for a moment. "As good an explanation as any." He shrugged. "I can assure you Eggsy, that as soon as I know what's going on, and how to fix it, you'll be the first to know." And he meant it. He’d rather see Eggsy happy with someone else, than miserable at his side.

Raising his glass, Eggsy smiled warmly, "Fanks Harry." His natural accent returning finally.

Harry's heart skipped a beat at the sound of it. While it was only proper for the Prince of Sweden to speak properly, Harry much preferred the street wise honesty of Eggsy’s true tongue. It spoke to his heart like no other had.

"What about you Harry?" Eggsy asked after a long comfortable silence where the pair drank and smiled, and stared at one another. Harry cataloguing all the small changes that had occurred since their last meeting, six months ago.

"What about me?"

"Have you experienced this...kissing problem?" Eggsy asked, his tone oddly shy.

Harry raised a brow at him, "As you are aware Eggsy, I am no longer a field agent, thus, I have had no opportunity to be exposed."

"Assuming is something we've been exposed to?" Eggsy muttered darkly.

"As opposed to...?"

Eggsy shrugged, "I don't know." He sighed tiredly, dragging his fingers through his soft golden brown hair. "What about off mission?" He asked, looking up through his lashes. "You could’ve bin...tagged on a date or somefink’?"

Harry laughed, shaking his head. He clearly needed more sleep, because it almost looked and sounded as if Eggsy was jealous, which was ridiculous, for the reasons previously stated. He'd have to talk to Dr. Khan about upping the dose on his sleeping tablets. "Come along Eggsy, who'd want an old one eyed codger like me?"

Eggsy stared at him like he'd said the earth was flat, "Fuck off, Harry! Any guy would be fucking lucky to have you. And you ain't that old." Harry shot him a disbelieving stare, even as his heart raced with joy, "Ain't you ever heard, age ain't nothink but a number, bruv. You're still all suave and charming and shit. You should be out there Harry, finding someone."

Harry felt his cheeks heating at the young man's impassioned declaration. His heart thundered in his ears and regret curled in his stomach. What would he say if Harry told him he'd already lost his heart, and there was nothing left for anyone else? That no l man in the world could live up to the perfection of Eggsy Unwin.

Before he could say anything however, the loud piercing sound of the emergency alarm screamed through the walls. Harry shot to his feet, hurrying over to his desk and snatching up the phone.

"What's going on?" Eggsy asked, leaping to his feet as the shutters on the office window came down with a loud bang.

"Merlin?" Harry snapped, concerned. "Are you sure?" Harry exhaled a breath, crashing down with a sigh into his desk chair. "Keep me informed."

"What is it?" Eggsy demanded as Harry hung up the phone.

"There's been an incident in one of the labs. Nothing need to worry about according to Merlin, but the whole estate has been put on lock down. He advised that we remain where we are."

"Are you sure it’s nothink serious?" Eggsy asked nervously..

Harry nodded reassuringly and waved for Eggsy to retake his seat, moving over to join him. He flicked on the small table lamp beside Eggsy, flooding the room with a warm golden glow. Instead of returning to the armchair, Harry lowered himself down onto the sofa, twisting his body to better face Eggsy while reaching for his barely touch martini. He stared at the young man's profile in the golden light, his tan radiant.

His gaze traced the sharp cut of the younger man's jaw, the bronze flesh decorated with a find growth of hair. Harry had fantasized, more than he'd ever admit, about that jaw. Dreamt of tracing his teeth across its chiselled curve on his way to Eggsy’s luscious lips. Harry shifted uncomfortably at the clear image in his mind, his fingers twitching against the cool glass.

As he took in Eggsy's profile, the young man threw back his head, emptying his glass. Harry watched his throat move as he swallowed and inhaled sharply when he felt a familiar discomfort in his trousers.

Eggsy cleared his throat, shuffling to the edge of the couch and setting his empty glass down. He reached for his tie, tugging it loose. "Is it hot in here?" He asked, sounding suddenly breathless.

Harry hadn't really noticed, mostly because he'd been too occupied staring at the young man in front of him, but now that his attention was drawn to it, "Yes. It is rather... _stuffy_." He exhaled a long tired breath and got to his feet, shrugging out of his suit jacket and draping it over the arm of the couch. When he turned back to Eggsy, it was to find the young man staring at him, tongue peeking out from between parted lips. There was a rose tint to Eggsy's golden skin and a darkness in his gaze that hadn't been there before. Harry felt his cock twitch and hurriedly turned away, pacing over to his desk. "I'm sorry you're trapped here for the foreseeable future. I hope you don't mind if I attend to some work."

He hurriedly took a seat, quickly concealing his growing embarrassment. Eggsy made no comment and Harry reached for the nearest pile of papers. Feigning interest in a file, Harry tried to ignore the sound of movement coming from the couch.

The room was becoming hotter by the second, which was completely understandable considering all the windows and doors had been sealed due to the lockdown. What wasn't understandable was the way he felt.

"Uh, H-Harry?"

He looked up instantly, concerned by the pained sound in Eggsy's voice. Eggsy was sat on the sofa, hands pressed to his thighs and face flushed. "Eggsy?" He asked, panicked.

The young man inhaled sharply and nodded to the grate by the far wall. Turning, Harry's eyes widened as a mist began to fill the room. Fear flooded through him, causing his heart to leap into his throat. He slapped a hand over his mouth while shooting to his feet. Glancing over to Eggsy, he found the young man mirroring him; hand pressed to his mouth and nose, coughing into it. Harry rushed over, snatching the blanket off the back of the leather sofa. Shifting his hand, he buried his face into the curve of his arm and hurried to the vent, dropping down. Taking a deep breath, he held it, using both hands to press and hold the thin blanket to the vent. The mist in the room seemed to lessen but eventually Harry could hold his breath no longer and a coughing fit gripped his lungs.

He turned his body, pressing his back as hard as he could against the vent while he tried to clear his lungs of the unknown smoke. Lifting his gaze, he found Eggsy collapsed on the couch, face flushed. He'd stopped coughing finally.

"E-Eggsy?" Harry wheezed. "Are you...?"

"So hot Harry." Eggsy mod breathlessly in reply, his fingers dragging his tie from his throat before frantically unfastening his shirt.

Harry swallowed as the sight of the man's muscular biceps, as he yanked the shirt off his body and tossed it. His heart beating faster when Eggsy also removed the undershirt, revealing the sculptured torso and scattering of soft hair.

It wasn't the first time Harry had seen Eggsy’s remarkably well kept body, neither was it the first time it had aroused him, but the intensity of the desire he suddenly felt flood his body was concerning, especially considering his age. Harry's body began to overheat, burning up from the inside and a sweet scent hung in the room.

The heat became too much and Harry tore at his own tie, tossing it aside and almost ripping at his shirt, desperate to free himself from its suffocating prison. A moan echoed the silent room and he instantly looked over to reassure himself that Eggsy was alright. The young man in question was lounging back on the couch, bare back pressed into the arm. He had his eyes fixed on Harry, dark and heavy lidded, and he was rubbing himself through the thick dark fabric of his dress pants. The tip of his pink tongue peeped put between his equally pink lips, dampened them.

Harry's heart began to hammer uncontrollably in his chest as the sight, his own cock pressing uncomfortably against the fly of his trousers. He shifted around, trying to ease the pressure without removing his back from the vent but it wasn't working, and against his better judgement he dropped his hand to his groin. He'd intended to simply adjust himself then remove his hand. He'd intended to stop staring at Eggsy as the young man continued to massage his own growing erection. Harry failed to do both things, his self-control slipping away. A cold shiver rolled down his spine at the memory of the last time he'd lost control of his free will.

He may be unable, or perhaps unwilling, to stop from touching himself and relieving the pressure building inside him, but he could at least stop from staring. He owed Eggsy that much.

Tipping his head back, Harry closed his eyes, biting at the inside of his lip to keep from moaning out Eggsy's name as the young man’s image danced behind his eyelids. His shining and happy aqua blue eyes. They'd dimmed somewhat lately, but they'd occasionally begin to shimmer when Eggsy laughed. Oh, and his laugh, like music. A chorus of angels sent to ease his tortuous nightmares for the briefest moments.

Harry started at the sudden weight on his outstretched legs and his eyes shot open, staring directly into dark lust filled eyes rimmed with the ocean. His breath caught, "Eggsy?" He panted, heart crashing relentlessly against his ribs.

"Harry." The young man muttered, voice rough and desperate, "God Harry." He moaned, a little brokenly, the calloused pads of his fingers stroking down Harry's cheek.

Before Harry could say a word, Eggsy's mouth descended, crushing down almost painfully. Harry grabbed at the man’s shoulders, intending to push him away. Eggsy didn't want this, he _couldn't_ possibly want this. It didn't take a genius to figure out they were under the effects of the mysterious smoke, and he'd not allow Eggsy to do anything that he'd regret later. That would hurt him.

Hurt them both.

But then all his best intentions flew out the window when Eggsy managed to force his insistent tongue into his mouth and an explosion erupted throughout Harry's body. The hands he'd meant to push Eggsy away with curled around his shoulders, nails biting into the flesh as he pulled him closer. His tongue diving deeper into Eggsy's mouth, sliding against the man’s own, licking across the roof and the backs of his teeth, chasing the incredible taste that filled his mouth.

It reminded Harry of the late November evening spent locked away in his room sketching butterflies from library books. Of the fresh autumn air filtering in through the gaps in the ancient windows, cool and clean. A purity that Harry had lost over the years.

Eggsy moaned, cradling Harry's head, pulling him in closer, his pelvis rocking. Harry hissed in a sharp breath, his own hands falling to grope at the man's arse, squeezing it hard.

"Fuck Harry." Eggsy muttered against his lips, tongue licking at Harry's lower lip before catching it between his teeth.

"I would not be opposed to that." Harry replied huskily, his mouth breaking free of Eggsy's teeth and trailing along his jaw, just as he'd fantasized about doing since he'd sat across from him in an empty London pub.

"Fuck, don't say that Harry." Eggsy groaned brokenly, the fingers of his right hand carding through the short hairs at the back of Harry's head, them curling to grip the tight.

Lifting his lips, Harry grinned, "Why not? It's the truth."

"Because..." Eggsy panted, leaning back enough to hold Harry's gaze. "Because you..." He gasped in a deep lung full of tainted oxygen. "Because this...it isn't...it's not real." He muttered the last part, his eyes closing.

Harry cradled his jaw, thumb brushing over the scattering of moles on his cheek. "Eggsy..."

"Don't Harry." he shook his head, before silencing Harry with another kiss.

They kiss for a little while, Eggsy's hands stroking over Harry’s bare chest. It made him shiver, not only out of desire, but also because he was well aware he was past his prime. What had once been a toned physique was now made up of mostly sagging flesh and soft muscle. He'd tried to keep himself tones, but no longer being in the field had led to his old man body.

"Perhaps we..." Harry muttered between kisses, the guilt and shame slowly overshadowing the desire he felt.

"Hmmm?"

"Leave."

Eggsy nodded, even as he sucked a love bite into Harry's throat.

"You don't want... Eggsy, we should stop, before we do something you'll regret."

"I... I don't think I can Harry. I've...God Harry, I need to..." He reached between them to grab at his own straining erection, the backs of his knuckles brushing at Harry's covered bulge.

Eggsy must have felt the way Harry's cock twitched with interest at the slightest touch. He turned his hand, palming at him, squeezing and rubbing. Eggsy's forehead dropped forward onto Harry’s shoulder, "I'm s-sorry Harry."

"Shhh, it's alright, Eggsy." Harry whispered softly. He brushed his hand comfortingly down the man's back. Punctuating his name with a deep moan and a thrust of his hips. "Do whatever you need to do. I promise, I won't hate you for it." Though he may hate himself when it was all over.

Eggsy twisted his head, capturing Harry's mouth once more in a desperate hungry kiss.

 

(*-*)

 

This wasn't how he'd fantasized his first time with Harry would go. Some hurried fuck on the office floor while under the influence of some drug or whatever. He'd imagined a soft bed, and kind words. He couldn't help it, deep down he was a romantic.

He'd dreamt that Harry would tell him that he loved him. That he wanted him. He'd imagined Harry announcing in front of a church full of people that he, Gary Egbert Unwin, was _his_ and no one else could have him.

But Harry had stood by silently while he'd pledged himself to a foreign Princess, because Harry didn't love him. Harry had never loved anyone, and that was heart-breaking for so many reasons.

Which was why the idea of doing anything with Harry left him torn. No matter what Harry said, when it was done and the drug had worn off, their friendship would be left in tatters. And Harry's _friendship_ was all he had left now. It was all Harry could give him. The thought of losing that over something so out of his control, was a nightmare.

However, every cell in his body was crying out for Harry's touch, his kiss. To have Harry inside him, or be inside Harry. He desperately needed to taste every inch of Harry. So much so his flesh burned with the need, his heart painful in his chest.

Only it wasn't just the physical act Eggsy craved, he wanted the fantasy. He wanted the whispered endearments and the lazy Sundays. He wanted to feel connected to another person again. Whatever he'd had with Tilde was fading away, turning into a bitterness he couldn't imagine carrying around for the rest of his life. He felt that connection with Harry, even now it was there, heightening his every wish and desire. Tormenting him and whispering for him to give in.

"Eggsy, it's alright." Harry whispered, his warm breath playing across his cheek. "Nothing will change the way I feel about you."

"But... Harry, I can't lose you. Not again." He choked out uncontrollably.

Harry's hands cupped his face once more, fixing his gaze with an earnest calm stare, "I swear to you. You'll never lose me, my... friendship is yours until the day you no longer want it. - Or until the day the grim reaper himself comes for me."

Eggsy swallowed thickly, tears stinging at his eyes, his heart swelling and shattering all in the same moment.

"We can't fight this...whatever _this_ is,, it'll tear us apart. You know it will. You can feel it, just as I can." He inhaled deeply, throat working frantically. Then he pulled Eggsy's face close, their noses touching. "Try and find.... _some_ p-pleasure."

Eggsy surged forward, crashing his open mouth to Harry's and allowing his tongue to find that incredible heavenly taste that sang in his heart and lit up his soul. Binding them together in the moment and allowing the world around them to fade away until it was just them.

He found himself throwing his arms around the man's shoulders, his fingers combing through Harry's hair. Pushing himself up against Harry's chest, Eggsy himself up on his knees, his tongue sweeping around Harry's mouth, luring the man deeper into the kiss.

Eggsy rocked his pelvis, his cock rubbing roughly at Harry's abdomen and Eggsy moaned loudly, picking up the pace of his hips. He tugged at Harry's hair, eliciting a groan from the other man. Harry's nails clawed at his lower back, his fingers dipping just below his waistband.

Eggsy hissed, breaking the kiss, moaning Harry's name. Reluctantly, he slid off Harry's lap and clambered to his feet.

"Eggsy?" Harry frowned, an odd sadness in his gaze, and Eggsy's heart tightened. How long had it been since Harry had been with anyone? He was clearly not getting out there. Looking down at the man, Eggsy felt a dark joy at knowing that. The idea of Harry being with anyone left a sourness in him, even as he wanted only happiness for the man who'd given him everything.

Everything but the one thing he so desperately wanted.

Pushing those biting regrets to the back of his mind, Eggsy held out his hand, "Come on," His voice soft, chuckling as nonchalantly as he could manage, "Sofa has gotta be comfier.” Harry looked ready to protest, "Whatever it is, it’s already effecting us." Eggsy reassured, leaning down to kiss Harry, proving his point.

Straightening, Eggsy held his hand out once more and this time Harry took it. Eggsy helped him up with little effort, smiling up at the older man. They didn't move for a few seconds, Harry's large manicured hands rubbing about at Eggsy's bare biceps, while they stared nervously at one another.

"This is...not how I'd...wanted…" Harry trailed off, pressing his lips together.

Eggsy inhaled a sharp breath, his traitorous heart filling with a ridiculous hope. His chest heaved as his heart raced. "Not how you'd wanted what?" He pressed breathlessly, licking at his dry lips.

Harry opened his mouth as if to reply, only to seemingly change his mind. Instead he snaked his arm around Eggsy's waist and pulled him up against his naked chest and kissed him. Slow and deep, and with an intensity he hadn't felt...ever.

Sparks flew through Eggsy’s body, and he gripped old of Harry's arms to keep from melting. Up on tiptoes, Eggsy pressed his lips more insistently against Harry's, arms once more around his neck. He had a moment of Deja vu, only...this time there was more tongue and less clothes, but the way his heart hammers and the uncontrolled joy that flooded his body was no different to the day Harry finally looked into his eyes and remembered him.

Eggsy found himself stumbling back a little way until his back hit solid wood. _The door,_ his mind informed him. Then Harry's hands were moving from his lower back, down to his arse and the back of his thighs. Eggsy let out a startled squeal when Harry heaved him off his feet, the man's taller body bracketing him against the solid oaken door.

Harry laughed into Eggsy's mouth, and Eggsy huffed out a disgruntled sound into the kiss while wrapping his legs around Harry's trim waist. "Harry." He moaned breathlessly, breaking the kiss to gulp in much needed air.

Harry said nothing, his mouth switching target immediately to suck and nip at Eggsy's throat, soothing the love bites he left, marking Eggsy with small fluttering kisses. _Butterfly kisses_ _, how fitting._ Eggsy thought happily, his head rolling back and his eyes falling shut.

He rocked his hips, hoping to ease the tension building up inside him, but it wasn't enough. "Harry," he gasped, "Neeeeed more." He panted.

"Tell me." Harry ordered, voice shaking with restraint. "Tell me what you want Eggsy."

"You." Eggsy replied, voice cracking. Too lost in the desperation to guard his words. "All of you. You’re....mouth." He punctuated the plea with a snap of his hips.

"As you... _wish_." Harry muttered, pushing them away from the door.

Eggsy's arms and legs tightened around Harry’s waist, as the man carried him the few feet to the couch and slowly eased them down, one hand gripping the back of the sofa to provide balance. With Eggsy comfortable on the dark tanned leather, Harry began to trail those butterfly kisses slowly down his chest, his hand moving ahead of him to unfasten his trousers. Eggsy's right hand reached up, grabbing at the back cushions, his eyes drifting closed once more, savouring every brush of Harry's lips. He aggressively silenced the voice in the back of his head that reminded him that none of this was real, and that he was risking his friendship. Harry had said nothing would change, and Eggsy trusted Harry, more than anyone in his life. - More than himself.

Eggsy's left hand dropped to card through Harry's lush brown waves, dismantling his perfectly crafted do, while lifting his hips, allowing Harry to drag his trousers and boxers down his legs. When Eggsy heard the sound of his shoes hitting the carpet, he opened his eyes and looked down, sucking in a breath at the sight of Harry Hart, hair dishevelled, between his legs. The man's hand reaching out for his erect dick with agonising slowness. Eggsy could feel the man's damp warm breath playing over the wet tip and a shiver rippled through him.

Then Harry lifted his gaze, locking his brown eyes with Eggsy's blue ones while he closed his mouth around the head of Eggsy's cock. "Ah, fuck!" Eggsy yelled, eyes still fixed on the man. He struggled to hold his hips still, despite the almost overpowering desire to fuck up into that glorious heat.

It was torture watching and feeling Harry take him further into his mouth, inch by incredible inch. Eggsy's fingers tightened on the cushion but he forced the ones in Harry's hair to remain relaxed. When Harry had him fully sheathed, he gave the length a few sweeps of his tongue before pulling up. He bobbed his head up and down the lengths a few times, swirling the tip of his tongue over the head before diving back down.

After the fourth descent Harry froze and Eggsy's heart clenched with a sudden fear. Had he come to his senses? Had the...mist worn off? Shit, was this were it all ended?

Harry looked up at him again, his hand moving to Eggsy's hip. He brushed his thumb over the hip bone comfortingly, before indicating, as best he could without removing his mouth, that Eggsy should thrust.

Eggsy gaped breathlessly down at him, "Are you...serious?" Harry nodded, smiling around the length. "Fuck it Harry," he growled, fingers tightening in the man's hair. With a shift of his feet for leverage, Eggsy gave a small shallow thrust of his hip.

The slap to his thigh told him everything he needed to know and his next thrust was sharper, the head of his dick brushing the back of Harry's throat.

Another slap and Eggsy let go, fucking up into Harry's willing mouth until he was practically in the man's throat.

Sweat peppered both men's bodies causing them the make a rather unpleasant squeaking sound against the leather cushions. Eggsy's right hand moved to join his left, allowing him to cradle Harry's head as he increased his pace.

"Fuck, Harry, soooo cloooose." He panted.

Harry's hands came down on Eggsy's hips, holding them captive against the cushions. Eggsy let out a displeased whimper. "What the... "

Harry pulled his mouth off Eggsy and coughed, swallowing thickly as he climbed off the sofa.

"Seriously Harry? You're just gonna leave me like this?" He gestured angrily down at his glistening hard cock. Abandoned to the cool air of the room.

Harry turned, lifting an unimpressed brow. "A gentleman accepts their partners change of mind with grace, understanding and humility, with no thought if their own discomfort." He scolded, voice rough from Eggsy's enthusiasm.

Eggsy sobered, however the cloud of lust was still thick in his mind, and he struggled to control himself. He shot up on the couch, dragging his legs up to conceal his still hard cock. "Of course," he muttered regretfully, "M-my apologize Harry." He dropped his gaze to stare down at the Arabian carpet.

There was a brush of fingers to his shoulder, up into his hair. "Eggsy?"

He looked up cautiously to be met with warm brown eyes, full of care and forgiveness. Harry said nothing, simply leaning forward to capture Eggsy's lips in a soft lingering kiss. It was so sweet and gentle, and perfect that Eggsy felt tears springing into his eyes. _Why can't this be real?_ He asked the universe.

"We...if you want to.... stop?" Eggsy whispered softly against Harry's lips, "I'm sure we can suffer through, it's gotta wear off eventually."

Harry huffed out a breath, not quite a scoff but rather sounding like a bitter laugh, "Eventually." He agreed quietly. There was a long silence filled with nothing but the scream of the alarm out in the hall and their breathing. - Eggsy hadn't even realised the siren was still going, being lost in Harry as he was. - Then Harry spoke again, equally as broken as Eggsy felt, "I don't think...I could stop now, even if I wanted to." He choked out, "I'm sorry." He added in a whisper, his forehead pressed to Eggsy's own.

"I'm sorry too." Eggsy replied with a broken sound in the back of his throat. Then he wrapped both hands around the older man's shoulders and drew him back in, pulling him down on top of him while melding their mouths back together.

They lay there, stretched out on the sofa, bodies pressed comfortably against one another from mouth to toes, kissing and touching. Losing track of time and the world, - and the truth.

As the seconds ticked by, the kiss grew more heated. Eggsy's pelvis began to rock again, the weight of Harry’s cock pressing into the curve of his groin. He stroked his hand down Harry's back for what felt like the thousandth time, still managing to be surprised and aroused by the solid muscle, only slightly tainted by age. "Y-you're incred-able." Eggsy panted when Harry turned his attention to Eggsy's throat. "Your body H-Harry, fuck I..."

Harry hummed appreciatively, his teeth nipping at the flesh below Eggsy's left ear while his hand skimed down the younger man's sides, to curl over the firm orb of his arse cheek. "Not so bad yourself." He side breathlessly.

Eggsy followed his lead and filled both palms with Harry's arse, giving it a squeeze while snapping his hips up. Harry let out a broken groan and pressed his damp forehead into Eggsy's neck. "Any chance of getting these off?" Eggsy asked, slapping at Harry's behind to indicate the suit trousers he was still wearing. Harry gave a little grunt of approval at the slap, rolling his hips. "Fuck Harry," Eggsy moaned, "Are you into that kinky shit?"

Leaning up, Harry stared down with half lidded eyes and smirked, "I've experimented with many forms of...."

"Fuck." Eggsy almost whimpered.

"Yes." Harry chuckled, "And I can't d-deny some things are... stimulating."

Rolling his head back against the cushion, Eggsy closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Fuck it."

Harry leant forward again, his lips brushing Eggsy's ear. "I really wish you would."

It wasn't the easiest manoeuvre he'd performed, but he'd been trained to work in tight spaces, so in a matter of moments Eggsy used his body weight, and he suspected with a little help from the man himself, Harry was flat on his back on the couch cushions. Eggsy straddling his lap, his hands tugging desperately at the older man's trousers, until they were undone and Eggsy could violently yank them down. It meant he had to clamber backwards and almost fell off the sofa, but finally Harry's legs were free of the perfectly tailored trousers and the red satin boxers.

With the shimmering fabric in hand, Eggsy looked down at a now fully naked Harry with an amused smirk, waving the underwear with a soft laugh.

"I haven't gotten around to doing any laundry." Was Harry's rather stiff and defensive argument.

Eggsy looked at the item once more, his nose wrinkling, "I don't know bruv, not sure I'd feel right 'bout shagging an Arsenal supporter."

"Well, if you've..." Harry shrugged nonchalantly, moving to get up, only to be stop when Eggsy scrambled back up his legs, tossing the underwear over his shoulder and pulling Harry back into a hot deep kiss.

The feeling of Harry’s bare hard cock against his own, erased any and all thoughts or doubts from Eggsy's mind, leaving him with only his lust and instincts. They rutted together, tongues moving between their mouths, fingers clawing at sweaty flesh.

"C-cabinet." Harry panted.

Eggsy didn't need explanation, he hurriedly climbed off Harry's lap and rushed over the large cabinet to the right of the man's desk, yanking open the doors. Inside was a familiar looking black bag, Harry's emergency travel case. They'd all had one, filled with the essentials.

Ripping it open Eggsy rifled around the inside pocket, dragging out the toiletry bag. Everything inside was as expected, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor and small can of shaving foam. But most importantly, condoms and lube, because you never knew when a simple mission could require a honeypot.

Getting back to his feet, supplies in hand, Eggsy inhaled sharply when he turned to see Harry stretched out of the sofa, eyes locked on Eggsy, while he casually jerked himself off. It was better than every fantasy Eggsy had. He reached for his own cock, stroking it languidly as he wandered back to Harry. Their eyes never breaking contact.

Dropping the condoms and lube on the carpet, Eggsy settled between Harry's thighs, pushing his hand away so he could replace it with his mouth. He didn't want this to end without at least getting a taste of Harry. A memory to see him through the rest of his life. All the years ahead of him suddenly felt like a chain slowly wrapping around his throat, strangling him.

Harry's fingers carded through his hair and he headed the man's soft voice pleading with him, "As much as I'd love you to do that all day," he tugged at Eggsy's hair gently, "I want to...feel you inside me....before it’s too late."

Pulling off the man's cock, Eggsy stared at him, heart racing. Harry didn't flinch away from the words, didn't hurriedly take them back or clarify them, and Eggsy's heart flew into his throat. "You...want...this?" He muttered, climbing back onto Harry's lap, eyes searching his friend's face.

"I'm sorry." Harry said, finally dropping his gaze.

Letting out a pained moan, Eggsy grabbed Harry's face and crashed their mouths together. He felt ecstatic and terrified, and guilty all in the same second. His hands shook at the side of Harry's face.

Harry wanted him? Was it real or just another side effect of the mist? Was it lust or love? At that moment, Eggsy didn't much care, all he cared about was the way Harry was kissing him, the way he was touching him, with what felt like....devotion.

Breaking the kiss, Eggsy pushed Harry back down and reached for the condoms and lube. He handed the blank foil pack to Harry, while he tore open the sachet in his hand, squeezing a generous amount onto his fingers. Harry lifted his right leg, hooking it on the back of the sofa, while using his left to leverage his hips into a more accessible position.

Eggsy lowered his hand to Harry's exposed arse, rubbing his slippery fingers between his cheeks and over his hole.

"Eggsy." Harry moaned, pressing his arse impatiently onto the younger man's fingers. Taking direction, Eggsy pushed in. " _More_." Harry groaned, head rolling back on the arm of the couch.

That was all the permission Eggsy needed. He added a second finger, then a third. Fucking them in and out until he felt the muscles relax.

"That's enough." Harry groaned, looking desperately down at him.

"No its not." Eggsy argued.

"It’ll have to be, I can't wait any longer." Harry begged, canting his hips insistently.

Always one to follow orders, Harry's at least, Eggsy withdrew his fingers then arched his body forward, presenting his leaking cock to Harry. With trembling fingers, Harry tore the packaging and removed the condom. He sat forward and with rough desperate strokes, slid the rubber on.

When Eggsy was fully covered, Harry dropped back and lifted his legs, gripping the backs of his knees tight. Eggsy whimpered and scurried into place, guiding his cock into Harry.

"D-don't....hold....back." Harry told him, and Eggsy took a breath, holding it into his lungs as he thrust forward. Harry let out a yell, his eyes clenching tight and fingers biting into his own flesh. Eggsy could see the whiteness of his knuckles.

Without restraint, the heat that had been torturing him for so long, blazing anew, evaporating the air from his lungs and driving him onwards at a punishing pace. He snapped his hips until every muscle in his back and thighs felt as if they were on fire. Harry's breathless cries of his name filling his ears like a chorus of angels singing.

Dropping forward, Eggsy pressed his open mouth to Harry's, too caught up in the passion to really kiss. They shared air, panting into one another's mouths as Eggsy pistoned his hips, fucking into the man he loved as if his life depended on it. The older man's legs moving to wrap around his waist, his nails clawing at Eggsy's shoulders.

"God," Eggsy moaned, "I...dreamed...so good, Harry. You feel so good."

"Yes." Harry whispered back, his eyes closed, his lips moving lazily over Eggsy's own. "You....too. So....fuck, Eggsy, so good. Better than I....dreamed."

"I love you." Eggsy confessed breathlessly, his fingers curling into the short hairs at the back of Harry's head. "Always...fuck....can't hold....on...." His pace became erratic, and he slipped a hand between them, wrapping his rough callused fingers around Harry's cock and stroked, eager to bring Harry to completion before finding his own release. Just as a gentleman should. "That's it Harry, fuck, that's it. Come on. Come for me. Come on, luv, your so clooooaaahh." He trailed off as he felt Harry's body clamp down on his cock, milking it, drawing his own release. Harry's cum hot on his fingers as he continued to stroke Harry through.

Eggsy spilled into the condom, his cock buried as deep as it would go and head rolling forwards, forehead pressed to Harry's as he panted through his orgasm.

Collapsing onto the older man, still buried inside him, Eggsy pressed his face into the crook of Harry's neck, breathing in the delicious sweetness of his scent, their hearts beating in time as the fire within them died.

 

(*-*)

 

As the euphoria faded away, reality came crashing down on top of Harry. He stared up at his office ceiling, listening to the frantic beating of his heart. The feel of Eggsy's soft breath playing across his chest hair, while Eggsy's hair tingled at his ear. The young man's weight bracketing him to the couch.

In any other circumstance, it would be perfect. It would be his idea of heaven. If only it weren't for the fact that Eggsy was married. If only this whole thing had started because Eggsy wanted him, instead of being because someone in the research department knocked over a fucking jar.

What made Harry truly angry though, was that he'd done it again. He'd lost control of himself and given in to his baser instincts, just like back at the church. Only this time, instead of blood cooling on his body, it was cum.

As gently as he could, Harry rolled Eggsy to the side and slipped off the couch. He snatched at his underwear and trousers, quickly stepping into them. He was fully aware of Eggsy's eyes burning into his back, but wasn't quite ready to face him yet. He wasn't sure he would ever be ready to see that look of shame and disgust.

Dragging his fingers through his hair, Harry rubbed his tongue across his teeth, trying to scrub away the sweet heavenly taste that was haunting him. Teasing something that didn't belong to him, and something he'd never have.

Desperate to free himself from the taste, Harry marched over to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a strong drink, throwing it back and allowing the alcohol to burn away the taste of Eggsy. If only he could burn away all traces of him on his body. The ache and stretch of his back and arse was such delicious agony that Harry suspected he'd be carrying it with him to his grave.

"I - I could do with one of those." Eggsy said behind him, still a little breathless, which did nothing for Harry's libido.

Swallowing thickly, he poured two fingers into another glass, refilling his own, then carried it over to the young man. He kept his distance as he handed it over and tried not to look at him, but as their fingers brushed, Harry's heart flipped over itself and he inhaled sharply. The sound echoed back at him from Eggsy and before Harry could stop himself, he lifted his gaze.

Eggsy was sat on the edge of the couch, still naked, his glass frozen in mid-air, meeting Harry's gaze with a mix of sorrow, guilt and...desire. There was a pleading in the aqua depths of is eyes that Harry didn't understand.

"E-Eggs..."

"Please don't Harry." Eggsy voice broke around the words. "I know okay." the younger man tore his gaze away, dropping his head and arm, to fixate on the glass.

Taking a deep breath, Harry took a step back, perching his arse on the desk. "What exactly do you know, Eggsy?"

Shaking his head, Eggsy muttered, "That this wasn't real, okay." he let out a long weary sigh and dragged his hand through his hair. "But god Harry..." he shook his head.

Harry's heart raced, a vicious vine of hope snaked around it, and squeezing so tight he could hardly breathe. "Eggsy, I..." he licked at his lips nervously.

"Oh God, Harry." Eggsy gasped, shooting to his feet. He quickly remembered he had no clothes and after setting his untouched drink aside, he hurried to dress, keeping his back to Harry. - As if that was any better. The view of the younger man's arse was only making Harry hard again. "I should go." Eggsy said quickly, shaking his head, his voice strained.

Placing his glass quickly on the desk top, Harry gritted his teeth and got to his feet. He hated seeing Eggsy so agitated and he feared he might do himself an injury. "Eggsy?"

"God, I’m fucking married." Eggsy cursed.

Harry stopped, dropping his head. "Yes." he sighed regretfully. "You are."

"I made that decision." Eggsy rambled on, becoming more worked up by the second.

"Yes, you did."

"And now it’s falling to pieces and all I have left is you."

Harry choked in a breath, "I'm your friend, Eggsy. If you still want me."

Eggsy spun around quickly, losing his balance as his foot caught on a discarded sock and he began to fall. Harry reacted instinctively, leaping forward and grabbing him by the arms and setting him to rights. He should have let go instantly, but he found he couldn't remove his hands as he stared down into Eggsy's teary eyes.

"Eggsy?" Harry whispered, heart pounding.

"If I still want you?" Eggsy replied, repeating Harry's words back to him in a quiet voice, shaking his head. "God," he sighed, a tear rolling down his cheek. "I..."

"What?" Harry pressed.

"I...I can't lose you."

"You won't, just... - Say it." His fingers tightened desperately on the young man's arm, both their chest heaving. " _Say_ it."

"Harry, you're all I've...."

They were interrupted by the ringing of the office phone. Harry ignored it, eyes remaining locked with Eggsy’s, but the young man blinked, then straightened, pulling away. "You should probably answer that."

Harry searched the watery aqua eyes, before Eggsy pulled free of Harry’s hold and turned away, collecting more of his clothes. Reluctantly Harry marched over to the desk, picking up the receiver and snapping. "YES!"

 _"Arthur? Are you alright?"_ Merlin asked, his voice sounding almost as shaky as Harry's own.

"I'm in a meeting, what do you want?"

 _"A meeting?"_ Merlin repeated, a frown in his voice, then a gasp echoed down the line, _"Oh, Eggsy. Shit Harry, are...? Shit."_

"Merlin unless you've got something important to discuss, I..." he trailed off at the sound of a door closing, and he turned to find Eggsy gone. Lowering the phone for a long moment, he sighed, rubbing at his eyes while he stepped over to his desk chair. He lowered himself into it slowly and muttered. "You were saying?"

_"What about your...?"_

"It's over." Harry replied quietly, his chest aching.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended this to be the epilogue, only it turned into a second chapter.

Harry took his seat at the head of the table with a tired sigh. He'd barely slept in a week, which wasn't all that unusual for him. He was the head of a secret spy agency after all, sleep was relatively low on his list of priorities.

But the last week had been exhausting in a way he hadn't felt in decades. There was a heavy weight pressing down on him. Across that weight, in big bold letters, was the word **Eggsy**.

In the six and a half days since the incident in his office, he hadn't spoken to Eggsy once. In fact, Harry was pretty confident in thinking that the young man was avoiding his calls. Something easily done when you are married to a member of the Swedish royal family.

The problem was, Harry desperately needed to speak to him. He needed to clear the air, even if he ended up regretting it. He'd spent a week tormented by the memories of their encounter. He was loathed to call it love making. Especially when he wasn't certain of Eggsy's feelings.

He'd replayed the day. The devastated, desperate look in Eggsy's eyes. The half spoken confessions, the way his heart had shattered when Eggsy slipped away.

But the more he thought about it, the more he began to doubt he'd even seen or heard any of it to begin with, and the longer the silence continued, the more he believed he'd ruined the friendship he'd desperately fought to hold onto.

A knock on the dining room door had Harry lifting his gaze and replacing his glasses. He hadn't even realized he'd taken them off. "Enter!" He called, shuffling slightly in his seat and trying to look productive.

The door opened slowly and Lancelot cautiously stepped over the threshold, her eyes flickering around the room briefly, as if fearing someone's presence. Harry had noticed her doing that a lot the last week. He'd noticed, but he hadn't questioned it, too preoccupied with his own problems, but he suddenly realized that he should sit her down and discuss what had suddenly made her so jumpy. "Come in, Lancelot. Take a seat." He waved to her assigned chair.

"Thank you, Arthur." She smiled tightly with a small nod, and pulled out the chair, taking a seat. "What can I do for you Sir?" She asked softly.

Harry frowned. "I didn't summon you."

Lancelot looked equally confused, “I was called back to the shop, Sir." She pondered.

Harry was stopped from saying anything more by another resounding knock on the door. "Enter!"

The door opened and Merlin waltzed in, followed closely by a woman in a grey pinstriped suit, her black hair pulled up into a tight bun. Harry almost missed the way Lancelot went ridged at the appearance of his master at arms, almost. He frowned at her once again, watching as she sat stiffly with her back to the Scotsman, and suddenly like lightening Harry knew what had her spooked.

A sudden wave of anger flooded through him. He'd expected better from his colleague and friend. It was ungentlemanly to use his position to harass his fellow Kingsman. "Ladies would you excuse us. I need a moment with Merlin."

His tone must had indicated just how angry he was, because Merlin visibly pale for the first time in a decade. "This is important, Arthur." He tried to deflect.

"So is what I need to discuss. Ladies."

Lancelot rose out of her chair and too calmly made her way to the door, once again avoiding eye contact with Merlin. "Don't go far." Merlin announced as she passed, “We’re not finished." He gestured to the woman with his head and the files in his arm.

Lancelot lifted her chin and gave a nod, then slipped out, the Researcher following after her. Closing the door behind them. Merlin stood frowning at the door for a second then turned to regard Harry. "Sir?" He broached professionally. "What can I do for you?"

"I would expect better of you Merlin!" Harry snapped.

"What?" The Scotsman frowned. "What yer talkin' 'bout?"

"I think you know." When Merlin shook his head, Harry clarified. "Lancelot."

Merlin paled once more, stiffening. "It’s not what yer thinkin’ Harry." he said sharply. "It’s what I called yer both here to discuss." He waved the file in his hand. "It concerns what happened last week."

Harry stilled, eyes widening with surprise, horror and sudden understanding. Perhaps Merlin wasn’t quiet as disgraceful as Harry had initially believed. "How so?" He asked cautiously.

"You and Eggsy weren't the only ones effected by the accident." Merlin replied awkwardly, his usual confidence shaken a little.

"So, you are saying you were not in your right mind when..."

"No. I'm saying for the first time in my life, I was doing precisely what I wanted to do. Please Harry," he waved at the door," Let me have Lanipekun explain everything, then you'll understand and we can _all_ get on with our lives. "

Confused and more than a little fearful of what he was going to hear, Harry reluctantly nodded. Merlin opened the thick wooden door and ushered the ladies back inside. Lancelot retook her seat, the tension still visible in her body.

"This is Dr. Alicia Lanipekun from our Research and Development department." Merlin introduced, gesturing to the tall slim woman. "Her team have been working to discover what has been effecting our agents in the field and has discovered... Why don't you explain, Doctor." He waved before moving to take one of the empty chairs.

"Uh, thank you, Merlin." The woman nodded tightly, her Caribbean accent echoing in the sudden silence. "First let me apologize Arthur for the accident last week. Those responsible have been dually reprimanded."

Harry inclined his head, waving for her to continue.

"That said, the incident actually worked in our favour and allowed us to figure some things out." She announced confidently, back straight, head raised.

"Oh?" Lancelot frowned, gazed stubbornly locked on the woman. "How so?"

Dr. Lanipekun turned her large brown eyes to the knight, "The mist created by our testing, and accidentally released throughout the headquarters, had a rather...unexpected effect on those within the building." she looked between Lancelot and Merlin, then settled her gaze on Arthur. "But surprisingly not everyone... reacted... the same. - After we were able to sterilize the air conditioning, we began to look into the root cause."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't said anything to anyone about what had happened between himself and Eggsy, certainly not the medical or RnD staff. The only reason Merlin knew was because he was his best friend. - And a damn nosy shit. Of course now Harry understood how Merlin had figured out what happened with Eggsy was obviously because it had occurred between himself and Lancelot.

He twisted his head, glancing over to his friend and colleague. Lancelot was once again refusing to look at Merlin, but Harry could tell it was a struggle. Meanwhile Merlin was staring at the young woman's profile from three seats away, with a look of regret, guilt and strangely, hope.

Turning his full focus back to Dr. Lanipekun. "We took blood and saliva samples from those who had been within the building at the time, as well as members of staff who were not, then compared the two."

"And?" Lancelot said eagerly, then flushed and quickly apologize to Harry.

Dr. Lanipekun cleared her throat. "We tested the samples using a..."

"No offence," Harry interrupted, "While I appreciate your thoroughness in the matter, would you be so kind as to simply give us your conclusions. I will read the details later." He gestured to the file in front of him.

Dr. Lanipekun stared at him for a long moment, an insulted look passing over her features. But then she tapped at her tablet and stepped aside. "The junk DNA..." She began, voice cold, sharp and indignant, "...seems to have been overridden by an unknown strand that has caused people to...well, in layman's terms, it seems to have created some kind of physical connection between two interacting individuals."

Harry frowned, twisting suddenly and flipping open the previously abandoned file. "Meaning?" He asked, frowning down at the report.

“The only way I can describe it, Sir, is…it creates….well, I suppose the term… soulmates, is as close as we can find.”

"What?" Lancelot gasped.

"We're still doing tests, but from what we've learnt so far, everyone’s DNA has been rewritten allowing for this alteration."

Harry's eyes scan the pages while he only half listened to Lancelot quizzing the good doctor on her findings. According to what Harry was reading, someone or something had managed to alter human DNA. And not only the DNA of those working for him but the general population.

As part of her tests, Dr. Lanipekun took samples from the general public, all of which had been reporting to their GPs with similar symptoms as his knights.

"At first we thought it was supposed to trigger people’s reproductive imperative, but we have ruled that out as a motivation as these...connections seem to manifest between same-sex couples just as strongly as between those of the opposite sex."

"So why?" Lancelot pressed, voice strained.

"That is still unclear. However, not everyone seems to be affected, although they have the gene. For example, Agent Gwaine, Bors and members of the transport staff, all carry the alteration but remained unaffected by the gas. Also, Agent Percival reported feeling incredibly depressed and empty when exposed to the gas. – We suspect it has something to do with his…” her gaze flickered to Lancelot briefly, “…loss. - We're still testing. It could take years to fully understand the effects and consequences."

"What’s the pattern, Doctor? Why…. – Why are certain people…drawn together?” Harry asked shakily, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Well..." She cleared her throat, the mask of professionalism slipping just a little, to reveal a pink tint to her cheeks. "Those who...reacted to the gas seem to have...uh, given in, to already established emotions." She dropped her gaze, the corner of her lips curling shyly. "A deep bond that for whatever reason had been....ignored. - Or buried. The genetic changes seem to have made it impossible to deny." Dr. Lanipekun looked up, meeting Harry's shocked gaze. "Our experiment," the doctor continued, "managed to heighten what should have been a natural reaction causing certain individuals to act on their desires. It was like a signal boost. Where it would usually be more of a subtle hum drawing people together, we...well we pretty much released a gas to the flame and watched it explode."

Harry stared past her, his thought reeling. Tumbling over each other as he tried to figure out just what the implications were. What it all meant for him and Eggsy. For Eggsy and his...wife. "The foul taste?" He asked. The words slipping out quietly.

"Our evidence seems to indicate that the taste our agents, and the public, have been experiencing is a side effect to an incompatible match."

Harry inhaled sharply, his hands trembling where they rested on the table.

"So you're saying we're....soulmates?" Harry heard Lancelot ask breathlessly, as if echoing his own confusion.

"There’s a moments silence before the doctor cleared her throat. “Yes. – And perhaps always have been." She added with a soft whimsical tone.

Harry gasped in a sharp breath and shoved himself out of the chair, padding over to the window. Tears pooled in his right eye, causing the vision there to blur. He swallowed thickly, his heart racing as he silently replayed his whole relationship with Eggsy over in his head.

_Friends._

_Lovers._

_Soulmates._

It all seemed so ridiculous, like something out of a rom/com. Is this really that kind of movie?

"Yer need to tell ‘im Harry?" Merlin announced behind him.

Harry turned, frowning when he found himself alone. He shook his head, "I can't even get through to speak to him, let alone tell him we're...."

"Soulmates?" Merlin smirked.

Harry turned back to the window, hands clenched tightly behind his back. “There’s also the small detail of his wife.”

“’arry, y’slept together.”

“That…” Harry sighed, lowering his head until his chin touched his sternum. “You know what he’s like, Mycroft. Loyal to a fault. He married her, he won’t just…”

Merlin stepped up to his side and clapped his hand down on Harry’s shoulder. “That’s as may be ‘arry, but he deserves to know what’s happenin. They both do.”

Harry inhaled sharply, the insistent sting of jealousy crackling beneath his skin. He knew his friend was right. Eggsy and Tilde deserved to know what was happening, what was going wrong in their marriage. Then they would find a way around it. “Send Roxanne. He’ll see her.” Harry announced confidently. Then turned to face his friend. “ _Tomorrow_. I get the feeling you two have some things to discuss first.”

Merlin dropped his gaze, slipping his hands into his pockets as he turned to stare at the street below. “Aye. – I swear Harry, I had no idea.”

Harry frowned, looking at his friend’s profile. “How could you not know your own feelings? You, of all people.”

Merlin shrugged. “I’ve known her since she was thirteen, ‘arry. She was a child, and then she was a woman. I don’t know how or when it happened. – Alistair’s going to kill me.”

Harry snorted, nodding. “Most likely. – But he’ll come around. – Eventually.”

 

**\---Butterfly Kisses----**

 

Eggsy padded outside the room, chewing on his lower lip. He'd genuinely considered telling his private security to tell Roxy he was busy and wouldn't be able to see her. But it wouldn't be fair to take out his guilt and heartbreak on his best friend. - Especially when she was the only one he had left, now things with Harry had been ruined forever.

Squaring his shoulders, Eggsy took a deep breath and swallowed hard before nodding to the doormen. The two men gracefully pushed the doors wide, allowing Eggsy to stroll inside. He fixed a bright grin on his face when Roxy rose to greet him, and he swept her into a tight hug.

"Hey, Roxy. It's great to see yer. How yer been?" He hoped his voice sound lighter to her than it did to him.

One look at her face, told him she wasn't fooled, but she didn't mention it. "Actually I've got news. May we sit?" She asked politely.

Eggsy's heart clenched with fear. "Is everythink alright? Is H...? "

Roxy smiled reassuring, "Everything is fine. _Harry_ 's fine. "

Eggsy exhaled a relieved sigh, hating the way his heart had begun to race at the thought of Roxy delivering the news that Harry had....

Over the last week, he'd been reliving that summer afternoon in Harry's home office. The echoing sound of the shot violently jolting him out of the nightmare. He'd fly up in bed, sweat clinging to his body and with his heart attempting to hammer its way out of his chest.

At least he didn't have to worry about waking his wife. Tilde had taken to sleeping in the adjoining room, and if she had heard anything, she hadn't come to investigate. Their marriage, as much as Eggsy did not want to admit it, was all but over. Protocol and public opinion were the only things holding them together now.

"Eggsy?" Roxy said softly, reaching over and wrapping her delicate, yet deadly, fingers around his own and squeezing. It was only then that he realized his hands were shaking. "Are you alright?"

Forcing a smile onto his face, he nodded wearily. "So, what's the news?" He asked, quickly deflecting from the question he saw in her eyes.

Roxy exhaled softly, giving him a small subtle nod as she pulled her hand back. "Here." She held out a table. "Harry insisted you see this. He said it was important, and it is. It's....life changing." She added breathlessly with a smile.

"Roxy?" Eggsy frowned, eyes travelling over her features. She seemed to be....glowing. "What's goin' on?"

Still grinning, Roxy nodded to the device. "Read it."

Reluctantly he tore his eyes away from his friend and pressed his palm against the tablet screen. Instantly it awakened, revealing the familiar Kingsman logo. Welcome Galahad, stared up.at him and his heart skipped an excited beat. A buzz rippled through him as the name faded and the home-screen appeared.

His eyes locked on the icon in the top right corner, informing him he had a message. Opening the app, he found a link that would take him to a secure server, and he clicked it instantly. Tapping in his old password.

It took only a few seconds before a file opened up to him. He saw Roxy get to her feet out of the corner of his eye and pad over to the window, where she stood staring out at the palace grounds.

Eggsy barely spared her a glance before focusing on the information. He won't deny that he'd hoped it was a mission. That Kingsman was calling him back for some reason. That they had some job only he could do.

As he slowly read the pages though, it was clear it wasn't a mission. However it was equally life altering. He had to re-read it another two times before the words even began to sink in. - And then, only one word kept staring back at him. Seeming to grow larger and larger the longer he stared at it.

"Soulmates?" He muttered to himself, as if saying it out loud would cause it to suddenly make sense.

"Yes." Roxy confirmed, turning back to him.

When he looked up, it was to find Roxy grinning like the Cheshire cat, her usually creamy skin flushed with an appealing rosy tint to it. "Is this a joke?" He snapped, leaping to his feet, suddenly overwhelmed.

Roxy's smile faded and she stepped closer, shaking her head. "No. Not at all. Eggsy it’s real."

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing!" His fingers tightened on the tablet for a second, before he tossed it angrily at her. "You can tell Harry to fuck off!" He yelled, turning to leave.

Roxy caught the device gracefully, and then hurried to stop her friend from leaving. "Eggsy, I swear, this isn't a joke. Eggsy." She yanked on his arm. Whirling around Eggsy fixed her with a hard, unforgiving look, and she sighed. "I swear. I had trouble believing it too, but..."

"But?" Eggsy growled, eyes growing red and beginning to sting.

"You felt it Eggsy." She said gently, "I know you felt it too. I know you did, because I know how you felt... How you _feel_ about him."

Eggsy stiffened, shaking his head. "I'm married."

"Do you feel it with her?" Roxy challenged harshly.

"I love her!" He argued.

"I know," Roxy muttered sadly, “But you're not _in_ love with her. You never have been. - And she's not your soulmate. What happened last week proves that! "

"He told you?" Eggsy gasped, eyes wide with shock and anger.

"I'm a Kingsman, I can read between the lines. I know you were meeting with Harry the day of the incident, and now I've been sent here to deliver this information," she waved the tablet at him. “It’s obvious what must have happened.”

Narrowing his eyes, Eggsy angrily folded his arms. "How? Where you all spying on us? "

Roxy smirked a little, "We are spies," then sobered when Eggsy's expression remained stony. Exhaling a long breath, Roxy strolled over to perch on the arm of the expensive sofa, fiddling with the tablet and not meeting Eggsy's gaze. "I know, because it happened to me too." She confessed.

"What?" Eggsy gasped, moving closer to her. "You and Harry...?"

Roxy's head snapped up, eyes wide and nose wrinkled. "Awe!" She exclaimed, before checking herself quickly. "No offence. I mean, Harry's attractive, but...he's not...I had...."

Eggsy's frown deepened. "Roxy?"

"Merlin. - It was Merlin. He’s my soulmate." Roxy announced, grinning once more, cheeks flushed and eyes shining with joy.

The room fell deathly silent as Eggsy stared at his friend, and Roxy smiled shyly down at her shoes. Then suddenly, like a crack of thunder, a laugh exploded from Eggsy, shocking and angering Roxy. "Hey, what's so funny?" She demanded, leaping to her feet defensively.

Instantly Eggsy's hands shot up in self-defense. "Nothink." He reassured, "I'm just... I didn't even know you liked him?"

"Well unlike some people, I understand the concept of subtlety." She countered.

"Meanin’?" Eggsy snipped.

Roxy rolled her eyes dramatically, "Seriously Eggsy? You moved into his house. "

"It was available."

"You were there for two years and you didn't change a single thing."

"I just...didn't have time." He defended. "We were trying to fix the world.

"I know Tilde offered to handle it, but you wouldn't so much as let her paint the bedroom. - Not to mention that you slept in the spare room."

"Tilde had other stuff to do too. And it felt...weird sleeping in Harry's room."

"Which is why you should have gotten a different flat." Roxy argued, "But you couldn't let go, because you were still in love with him. - Jesus Eggsy, why do you think I was so pissy when I woke up to find out you'd gotten married? I knew this would happen!" She waved the hand holding the tablet around the empty room.

"Don't be ridiculous, you couldn't have known about this...thing."

"I don't mean this soulmate virus thing, I mean you being bloody miserable. I spent the first 13 years of my life surrounded by a loveless marriage, I didn't want that for you. You're one of my best friends in the world, and I want you to be happy. You deserved to be happy with someone you love Eggsy, not settling for second best. "

Eggsy stared at her, a tear slipping down his cheek. "Harry doesn't want me. He...told me so."

Roxy's eyes widened in shock. "What? When?"

"On the plane, when I told him about Tilde, he said he'd never been in love." Eggsy choked out, another tears streaking his skin. "Then he stood at my side while I married her, and never said a word."

Roxy sighed, shaking her head. "Why would he Eggsy? He's a gentleman. Did you tell him you loved him?"

Eggsy shook his head, "Of course not. I'm not gonna ruin our friendship."

Roxy scoffed, "Which is likely exactly what he was thinking.” She turned, staring out of the window. "How many people do you think do that? Keep their true feelings bottled up and hidden away?" She asked thoughtfully. "Me and You, Merlin and Harry. Perhaps that's what this is about." She waved the tablet. "Someone up there got tired of us all keeping our feelings locked away and ending up in miserable relationships that end badly.”

Eggsy shuffled over to sit on the sofa, leaving room for Roxy to slip down next to him. Shoulder to shoulder, they silently stared across the room.

"The public will figure it out eventually."

"What do you think they'll do?" Eggsy asked curiously, slouching low.

"Probably freak out." Roxy huffed, smiling.

"Accused the government of spiking the water." Eggsy laughed.

"Aliens." Roxy announced seriously, her hands flying up dramatically.

Eggsy burst into laughter, nodding. "Those pesky aliens, wanting us all to find the love of our lives. Think Cilla Black was one?" He grinned cheekily.

"And Paul O'Grady." Roxy agreed, nodding.

"God, TV is going to have a field day. Blind Date will have to be put on after the watershed. "

Roxy shook her head. "Nah. What happened with us was just a side effect of the lab techs messing around. Apparently, it's the kiss that does it. Triggers something in the DNA."

"Right, yeah. Guess I'm gonna have to read this report a few more times before I've gotten my head around it." He reached for the tablet, staring down at it. "I'm gonna have to...show Tilde." Roxy nodded. "She's not going to be happy. - Or maybe she will be."

Roxy reached over, gripping Eggsy's hand encouragingly. "What about Harry?"

"I need to deal with my marriage first. I owe her that at least."

"Of course."

"What about Merlin?" he asked.

Roxy shot him a meaningful grin, "Merlin's not the problem; Uncle Alistair is."

"Oh fuck! And here's me worried about my wife." He chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There should only be one more chapter (epilogue) but then, I said that about this chapter and look what happened.


	3. Chapter 3

Eggsy paced the small cozy lounge while his wife sat a few feet away reading. The tension in the room was far beyond breaking point, but Eggsy wasn't going to escape. No matter how tempted and desperate he was. He needed to sort things out with Tilde, before he could so much as contemplate any kind of future.

Since discovering the news about the soulmate virus, as he and Roxy had taken to calling it, he'd walked a thin line between ecstatic joy and stomach churning fear. The whole romantic ideal of soulmates had seemed ridiculous to Eggsy. - And yet, there had also been this...impossible hope. It was a beacon too far off on the horizon for any mortal man to touch. Especially a man such as him.

But now here he was. Here they all were. Living in a new world where that beacon was suddenly within reach. Where they had finally found their other halves. It was just a shame his other half wasn't the woman he'd chosen to marry.

"This is ridiculous." Tilde stated, her tone a mix of disbelief and anger.

"I know." Eggsy replied, sighing and perching himself on the 16th century desk. "But it’s real."

Tilde scoffed. "Says Kingsman."

Eggsy looked at her, eyes narrowing. "Yes. Kingsman have the most advanced scientists outside the United States. If they say there's a virus creating soulmates, then..."

"And this has nothing to do with him?" She practically spat.

Pushing himself off the desk, Eggsy straightened. "You mean Harry." He stated. There was no point trying to either deny it or play dumb. Roxy had already told him everyone and their uncle knew how he felt about Harry. – Everyone but Harry himself, apparently. – So he very much doubted his wife was the only one oblivious to it.

Tilde glowered at him for a second before looking down at the tablet. Then she huffed and tossed it aside. "This doesn't change anything."

Eggsy gaped. "What? Of course it does. It changes _everything_."

"We're married." She reminded him. "You chose to marry me."

"Not that yer gave me much of a choice." He muttered, turning his back on her to stare out at the grounds.

"Excuse me?" Tilde said harshly, and Eggsy groaned. "You proposed to me. No one forced you."

Closing his eyes, Eggsy exhaled a long breath and rubbed at them. "I know." He whispered regretfully.

There was a thick blanket of tension stretched over them, suffocating the pair. Eggsy listened from the window as Tilde got to her feet and began to move around the room behind him. There was the sound if glass on glass, and the familiar sloshing of a drink being poured.

For a few seconds he was back in Harry's office. The image of the older man pouring himself a drink as Eggsy sat naked on the couch watching him. "I slept with Harry." He announced suddenly, the words rolling off his tongue with surprising ease. “And just to be clear, when I say slept, I mean had sex.”

There was a loud heavy thud, likely from the decanter being set down hard in the trolley. Eggsy braced himself for a glass being thrown at him, even as he added. "He's my soulmate, and I love him."

To Eggsy's surprise, nothing hit him, and he turned to face his wife once again. "But of course you knew that, didn't you?"

"How would I know you _slept_...?"

Eggsy shook his head, "That I was in love with him. I've been reliably informed, I was pretty fuckin' obvious about it. You knew and you married me anyway."

"You chose _me_." She pointed out again. "I thought... I thought you'd found closure, and wanted to move on. - And I loved you."

"Loved?" Eggsy asked, lifting a brow at her.

"I _do_ love you."

Eggsy strolled over to her side and poured himself a drink. "I know." He said softly, "But you're not _in_ love with me. If you were, if _we_ were, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn’t be sleeping in separate rooms. You wouldn’t be taking every opportunity to be away from me. - Things wouldn't be so broken." He turned his head, meeting her eyes. "I'd be your soulmate, but I'm not. Am I?"

Tilde stared at him, eyes flickering between his, as if she could summon the bond from the depths of his soul and bind it to her. When that failed, she turned away angrily, marching back to the sofa.

"I don’t believe in divorce.”

Eggsy spun, eyes widening. “What?”

“Unlike your royal family, we don’t…”

Eggsy put the glass down with a bang. “Don’t give me that bullshit!” He yelled. “I’m not a stupid chav anymore.” Tilde stared up at him defiantly. “This isn’t about divorce, this is about Harry.”

“How will it look?” She spat, “My husband abandoning me for a man old enough to be his grandfather.”

“I don’t give a flying fuck what it looks like Tilde. This isn’t working, I can’t do this anymore, I’m fucking miserable. Even before this soulmate thing.” His shoulder’s sagged and he exhaled a tired sigh, turning back to his drink. He threw it back, savoring the burn in his throat, before confessing. “I should never have married you, Til. I never wanted it, but… I felt guilty after what happened with the drugs, your dad said it was all my fault.” Dropping his head, Eggsy closed his eyes. “And I didn’t think I had a chance with Harry.”

Tilde gasped behind him, and Eggsy winced. “So what, I was a consolation prize?” she demanded furiously, the tears obvious in the voice.

Eggsy’s heart clenched painfully and he swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “Honestly?” He said regretfully. “I think you always were.” He admitted shamefully, turning to look at her finally. “Though I didn’t realize that until….recently. – Til, I swear, I didn’t want it to turn out like this.” He said, stepping closer, “I did love you. I do love you, but….”

“You love him more.” Tilde huffed angrily.

“Yes. – But…” He dragged his hand through his hair. “It’s more than that. – I wasn’t ready to get married. I wasn’t ready to have a relationship to begin with, but I… I got caught up in the… excitement. I was playing along. Handsome spy, hot princess. It was all… so James Bond, you know? It wasn’t… _real_. Then… then it all fell apart. I lost Kingsman, Roxy, Brendan, JB. - I lost what I thought was my last connection to Harry and… - But then Harry was back and he was alive, and… And Roxy was alive… but then….

“Then you backed me into a corner. I was on a mission and you made me… you gave me ultimatums and made me feel like I was cheating, and the truth was… I was, and that made me feel like hell, because it wasn’t the woman I was cheating with, it was Harry. I realized, I loved him. – I’ve always loved him.”

Eggsy had to stop, gasping in a shaky breath as the tears began to block his throat, and blur his vision. “Only he didn’t love me.” He confessed thickly, “He told me he’d never loved anyone and I was heartbroken, and… God, I… - You were there, offering me everything, and… I took it. I thought, I hoped that eventually, I’d forget about my feelings for Harry. I thought that in time I could love you the way I loved him.”

“But you don’t?” She whispered, staring at him with watery eyes.

Guiltily, Eggsy shook his head. “I’m an utter fuckin’ bastard, and I’m sorry. If I could go back and change it, I would. God, you have no fuckin’ idea how much I would, but… All I can do, is fix what I can. – I love him. I’ve always loved him, and I want to be happy. – And I want _you_ to be happy. God knows I do, but you’re not, not with me.”

Tilde turned away from him, strolling over to the window, her shoulders shaking. Eggsy’s instincts wanted to go and comfort her, but he knew it would be unwelcome, and would only make it all that much worse.

Tilde scoffed, shaking her head. “I fuckin’ hate you, you know that?” She whispered wetly.

“Yes.”

“I want to have the guards take you out back and shoot you.”

“You can try.” Eggsy smirked, unable to hold back the sarcastic comment.

 

**___Butterfly Kisses___**

 

Harry lay stretched out on the couch, eyes closed against the migraine he’d been carrying around with him for days. Doctor Chambers had refused to raise his dosage, because the headaches were more psychological than physical, and that if he wanted rid of them, he needed to take a break. – Harry, of course, knew that the stress had nothing to do with work.

He hadn’t slept a full night for weeks. At first it was the thought of his ruined friendship that kept him awake at night, but this last week it was newly discovered knowledge that soulmates were real. That he had a soulmate. – And that, of all the people in the world, was…Eggsy.

Harry inhaled sharply as another twinge of regret and heartbreak tugged at his heart, filling his eyes with tears. He pressed both his palms over his eyes and tried to breathe. Despite his years and experience, the pain of losing Eggsy was almost unbearable. Tearing him apart inside almost daily. Was it because they were soulmates that Harry couldn’t bear to live without the much younger man?

Things weren’t made any better by seeing Merlin waltzing around the headquarters like he was walking on air. A constant grin on his face, even as he tried his best to hide it in Harry’s presence. Of course, Harry was happy for his oldest friend, and for Lancelot too. It was hard doing what they did, it helped to have something to return home to.

Chester had been against interpersonal relationships in the work place. It was part of the struggle Alistair and James had to deal with, but thankfully, there were no outright rules against it. – Possibly because their founders were just as inclined to dip their pen in the company ink.

A knock resounded on the heavy wood door and Harry groaned. He didn’t want to deal with anyone, he just wanted to lay there until his brain imploded from the pressure and put him out of his misery.

The door opened without him calling entry, and he sighed as he forced his eyes open. Merlin hovered, that damn cheery grin fading almost instantly from his face, leaving his brows knitted together in worry.

“’arry?”

“What is it Merlin?” Harry grumbled, his arm falling back over his eyes.

There was no answer for a few seconds, then a soft sigh filled the office. “Harry?”

His heart leapt into his throat, beating frantically against his vocal cords and stealing his breath. He didn’t dare lowering his arm for fear of discovering he had finally gone insane. He listened to the whisper of Merlin’s voice wishing a phantom good luck, then the gentle movement of a door and the shuffle of feet on his lush carpet.

He flinched at the touch of fingers against his hair. “Harry?” A broken whimper escaped Harry’s throat, much to his eternal shame. “Fuck.” Eggsy moaned, lowering his mouth.

What began as just a gentle chaste kiss, quickly turned passionate as Harry lowered the arm that was over his eyes to clutch at Eggsy’s head, while opening his mouth to the younger man. That was all the invitation Eggsy seemed to need, because he dove in with his tongue instantly.

Once again, Harry’s senses exploded. That long for taste of home drawing him in, wrapping around him like a comforting blanket, keeping him safe and warm. He lifted his other hand to join his first, curling his fingers in the soft short hairs at the back of Eggsy’s head, while the younger man’s own hands, clung to his shoulders, fingers pressing hard through his shirtsleeves. With any luck he’d have bruises in a few hours, proof that this was really happening.

It felt as if they were kissing for an eternity, and he let out a moan when Eggsy drew back. This time Harry opened his eyes, and inhaled a deep sharp breath as he looked up into glistening aqua ones.

“Hey.” Eggsy replied breathlessly, his swollen lips pulled into a grin.

Clearing his throat, Harry replied with a choked out, “Hello.”

Neither said another word, instead simply staring into one another’s eyes. Harry’s hand slipping around to cradle Eggsy’s jaw, his thumb rubbing soothing circles along the bone.

Eggsy broke the silence finally, whispering, “Want to get out of here Harry?”

There was a long moment of silence as Harry took everything in. “Your…wife?” he whispered, uncertainly. There was still a lingering fear in him that this was all a dream. – Or worse yet, that he would become Eggsy’s dirty little secret.

With a weary sigh, Eggsy shook his head. “It’s over Harry.” He confessed. “Let’s be honest, it should never have started in the first place.”

“Are you sure?” Harry asked, still not ready to accept any of it. “I mean, I’m old enough to be…”

The words were cut off by Eggsy’s lips, silencing him with a gentle kiss. “As Aaliyah once said, age ain’t nothin’ but a number.” He muttered as he pulled back.

Harry smiled, “I prefer the adage; you’re only as old as the man you feel.” He winked, tugging Eggsy back down.

They kissed lazily for a little while longer, before Eggsy groaned and got to his feet. “Seriously, bruv, can we get out of here. As fun as fuckin’ on the sofa was last time, I think we should christen your new bed.” Harry quirked a brow, his whole body humming as he continued to lounge on the couch. He slid one arm up behind his head and watched an impatient Eggsy stare down at him. “Fuck sake, Harry, come on.”

Harry shook his head, letting his eyes flutter over Eggsy’s body. “I’m quite comfortable here, thank you.”

Eggsy narrowed his eyes at the older man, stepping away slowly. “Oh, really? Very well.” With that, Eggsy turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Harry called.

“Your place. You are welcome to join me, just as soon as you can drag your lazy arse off that sofa.” He yanked open the office door and took a single step outside.

“And there I was thinking we might christen my desk first.” Harry called with a mock regretful sigh.

A second later Eggsy’s head appeared around the door, eyes flickering between Harry and the desk, considering. “I…”

“Before you retake your seat, I mean.” Harry said huskily, “Because they’ll be no sneaky fucks at work. We must maintain an air of professionalism.”

Eggsy’s brows rose, “Firstly, who said I’m comin’ back to work? I mean, I’m pretty famous now, Harry, I can’t exactly go undercover.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t serve Kingsman.” Harry said seriously. “We’ll simply have to be more….imaginative when it comes to your missions. – In fact, your royal status…”

“ _Ex_ royal status.” Eggsy hurriedly corrected.

“May work in our favor.” Harry continued with a soft smile. “Unless, you don’t want to…” he quickly added, suddenly nervous.

“Of course I fuckin’ want to, I just…” He shrugged. “Wasn’t sure I’d be allowed.”

Harry met his gaze, silently expressing how much he’d hoped and prayed Eggsy would return to them. – “We’ll make it work.” Eggsy grinned, and Harry pushed himself up a little more on the couch. “And second?”

“What?”

“You said Firstly, which tends to mean there is a second point to your argument.”

“Ah,” Eggsy grinned, stepping back into the office and closing the door behind him. “Who said we won’t be fuckin’ at work? I can promise you, Harry Hart, that if I want to get off, I ain’t goin’ to give a flying fuck about professionalism.” He chuckled, strolling over to Harry’s desk and perching his arse on the edge.

“Is that so?” Harry hummed, pushing himself off the couch and saddling over to the young man. “I feel your boss may have something to say about that.”

“Believe me, bruv,” Eggsy grinned, reaching out for Harry’s loosened tie while stretching to wrap his legs around the man’s hips, “My boss ain’t gonna have the brain cells left to be complaining about shit.” Then he yanked him forward, crashing their mouths together.

 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that was a satisfying enough ending.


End file.
